When it comes to my grandparents, I see them as my second set of parents. Although they live 4,000 miles away from me, I make sure to call them every week. I have not seen them in a few years, and I was looking forward to seeing them last summer.
All of a sudden, COVID-19 struck and everything shutdown. With strict rules and quarantine, I was forced to cancel all my summer plans, which meant not seeing my grandparents. I knew it would be a while before I could see them again, but I tried to keep a positive attitude.
Fast forward to late January, COVID-19 was at its worst. Countries were forced to quarantine again as vaccines started to be distributed at a slow rate. Then came the worst news I have heard since the start of the pandemic: My grandfather had caught COVID. I was shocked when I heard the news, as he had spent the entire year respecting the guidelines and staying home. Although my grandfather is a very healthy man, he is also an 80-year old man. It is no secret that the virus affects older people a lot more, and I was really worried for him. I prayed every day that nothing would happen to him and that he would be back to normal soon.
Although he remained out of energy for weeks, my grandfather has fully recovered now. Along with my father, he constantly reassured to me that he was fine, but it was definitely the scariest moment I had to navigate this past year. I am thankful that he is healthy now and that I have a great chance of seeing him this summer.